Berlex introduces new 20 mcg birth control pill
Contraceptive technology update 19(11): 145-146
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0274-726X PMID: 12294211 Document Number: 278442
Another low-dose oral contraceptive (OC), Levlite, has received US Food and Drug Administration approval. Levlite, manufactured by Berlex Laboratories, contains 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol and 100 mcg levonorgestrel. Alesse, an OC manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst, has the same components. Two other OCs--Loestrin and Mircette--contain 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol, but differ in their progestin component or dose. A pill containing 20 mcg ethinyl estradiol provides women with 33% less estrogen than a 30-mcg pill. Clinical trials involving 755 US women confirmed that Levlite provides high contraceptive efficacy with good cycle control. Headache, reported by 17.3% of study participants, was the most common side effect.